


This Is Paradise Being Here With You

by Zetal (Rodinia)



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [17]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, M/M, Nobody Likes Naomi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 20:14:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18038189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rodinia/pseuds/Zetal
Summary: After two saves from Castiel, this time it's Sam's turn to save his angel.





	This Is Paradise Being Here With You

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Bad Things Happen Bingo  
> Square: Stumbling and Staggering

Sam was getting used to flying with an angel. Any time Castiel came to visit him and Dean, he took Sam out for a flight. He called it a bonding exercise. Dean hadn’t taken that very well. “What do you mean, bonding exercise? How come I don’t get bonding exercises?”

Sam was going to remind Dean about the whole “Because Castiel’s in love with me, not you” thing. Dean was still weirded out by that, but at least he was supportive. As long as Castiel behaved himself, he was perfectly happy to watch his brother developing feelings for someone who loved him and could help keep him safe. Bonus: Sam wasn’t talking to Ruby nearly as much, and anything that got Sam to distance himself from that demon bitch was worth it.

Before Sam could say anything, Castiel decided to take a different approach. “I’m trying to be mindful of your regularity. You need to poop.”

“Wha…?”

“You told me once that after I flew you somewhere, you didn’t poop for a week. No sense in disrupting your elimination processes for bonding when there are other ways.” Dean was left sputtering as Sam nearly choked on the snickering.

 

This felt different. It wasn’t Castiel flying him somewhere, that much Sam was sure of. Who it was and what they thought they were doing with him, that was a question Sam intended to get an answer for as soon as possible. As soon as he figured out where the hell he was.

“I apologize for kidnapping you, but Castiel needs a rescue and no angel who could do it is willing to risk crossing Naomi.”

Sam looked at the other person in the room. She looked like a young woman, but that had to be a projection or a vessel of some sort. “Who are you? What’s Castiel need, and why me?”

“My name is Hester, I’m part of Castiel’s garrison, Castiel needs to be rescued from Naomi’s attempt to brainwash him, and because no angel can and will do it, which I believe I’d already covered. Naomi’s watching for Dean, but she doesn’t believe you care. She’s bought into the whole Boy King of Hell mythos about you and doesn’t believe you would care whether Castiel is being tortured.”

Sam had to try a couple times before he could get the words out. “Of course I care! He’s my… he’s my friend. He saved Dean! Why wouldn’t I…”

“Shhh.” Hester put a finger to her lips. “I’m not the one who believes you don’t care. If I were the one you needed to convince, you wouldn’t be here. I can get you to where they’re holding him, but you’ll need to be able to get yourself into him and get the two of you out without being caught.”

“You got a plan?”

“You’re not going to like it.”

Sam sighed. There was a lot of that going around. “I don’t have to like it, I just have to do it. What is it?”

Hester looked away, staring at the wall. “You’re a Winchester. No matter what happens, you figure something out. That’s the plan.”

“That’s not a plan!” Sam dialed back the anger. It wouldn’t help anything, and he couldn’t afford to piss off his ride back to Earth if he failed to get Castiel, or if Castiel was too badly hurt to fly them out. “Is that really all you’ve got?”

“Yes. Well, there’s the diversions several of my flightmates and I will be creating, it’s not like you’re going into there when they’re all paying attention. They’re expecting us to pull some shit trying to get Castiel out, so we won’t disappoint them. Keep them guessing about who the diversion is and who’s actually meant to be getting to Castiel.”

“Now, see, that? That’s a plan!” Sam shook his head. “How long do you need to get everyone in place?”

“Everyone’s in place except me and you. Are you ready?”

“Yeah. Kinda have to be.” He closed his eyes as Hester took hold. It still felt wrong, flying with her instead of Castiel, but at least this time he understood. A sharp gasp from Hester had Sam opening his eyes.

There was Castiel, staggering down the hall, one hand braced against a wall to steady himself as he stumbled over his own feet. He had his blade drawn, and when he saw Sam and Hester, he forced himself as upright as he could. “Get away from him. You will not hurt Sam Winchester. I won’t let you.”

Hester stepped away from Sam, hands up. “I’m not going to hurt Sam, Castiel.”

Castiel paused, blade still raised, but head tilting and eyes narrowing in confusion. “You’re not going to try to convince me that Sam is evil, that he’s irredeemable, that I should let you kill him before he breaks the final seal and frees his true master?”

“No?” Hester’s face scrunched up, but then cleared. “Castiel. Take Sam’s hand.”

Castiel came closer, reaching for Sam’s hand, but stopped a couple inches short. “No. Whatever trick you’re pulling, I refuse to allow you to use Sam to do it. You will never break my loyalty to Sam.”

“I don’t want to.” Hester sighed as Castiel still refused to take Sam’s hand. “Sam, you’ll have to take his hand.”

“If he doesn’t want to touch me…”

“He wants to. He wouldn’t have reached out if he didn’t. He just doesn’t believe it’s you he’s actually touching. Naomi loves simulations and hallucinations, and he thinks this is another one.” Sam still hesitated, and Hester rolled his eyes. “Look. One of you just take the other’s hand, okay? Sam, once he touches you, he’ll be able to feel your soul, he’ll know it’s really you, and we can get the hell out of here.”

Sam swallowed hard and closed the gap between his hand and Castiel’s. As soon as he did, Castiel staggered forward, throwing himself against Sam. “It’s here. You’re real. You came.” He straightened up, peering curiously at Sam. “How did you know to come for me?”

“Hester came and got me. Are you okay?”

“No. Not at all. Let’s get back to Earth and I’ll explain.”

 

Back on Earth, in the motel room, Castiel continued to lean against Sam. “Naomi has… concerns… about me. She believes I’m compromised, that I care more about Dean than I do about the mission. Her intent was to use a false you to convince me that you had given into Ruby, that you were wholeheartedly on Lucifer’s side now. The idea was that I would kill you, and that Dean would be Dean about it.”

“Pitting the two of you against each other, weakening your profound bond,” Sam interrupted. He had to admit, that sounded like it might have worked, if it weren’t for the growing relationship between him and Castiel. “How’d you get free?”

“When she realized she had miscalculated and needed to come up with a different plan to break me, she retreated. She left an angel to guard me, but chose poorly. Samandriel respects me a great deal, and he believes I’m lost already and Naomi’s reeducation efforts are a waste of time. Any significant time spent around you or Dean would just bring everything right back.” Castiel leaned a little harder on Sam, and Sam’s arms came up to hold his angel tight. “He’s likely right. You and Dean can be persuasive.”

“So, uh… I’m glad you’re safe, but how do we keep you that way? Won’t Naomi just hunt you down again?”

Castiel shrugged. “Likely, yes, but she has some other things to sort out first. Samandriel’s betrayal, explaining to Michael how I escaped.”

“Dealing with our garrison’s uprising,” Hester added. “We’re not alone – there are others who are horrified by Naomi’s methods of dealing with wayward angels. By the time they’re done figuring out the extent of it, we’re hoping they’ll realize just how big a problem Naomi has become. Torturing an angel, especially one as well-respected as Castiel, for falling in love crossed a line for a lot of people.” She smiled ruefully. “Even if most of them are wrong about exactly who it is Castiel fell in love with.”

“It’s not much of a plan, counting on chaos in Heaven and the need to continue monitoring Lilith and the seals, but if Naomi or Michael are determined to find me, it’s not like there’s much we could do to stop them.”

“Keep our commander safe for us, Sam,” Hester said. “I need to get back. Castiel, I’ll let you know if drastic measures become necessary.”

With Hester gone, Sam closed his eyes and focused on Castiel in his arms. “Is there anything we can do to help you heal?”

“Not really, I just need time. If you wouldn’t mind, this is at least helping distract me from the pain…”

Sam loosened his hold of Castiel, leading him over to the bed and lying down. “Come here. This way we can stay like this longer without it getting too uncomfortable for me.”

“Oh.” Castiel snuggled in with a smile. Sam returned the smile when he saw Castiel’s wings coming out to wrap around them. Even with the damage, they were still beautiful, and this was still an amazing gesture of trust and love. Before he even realized what he was doing, he bent his head to kiss Castiel. Castiel pulled back. “Sam?”

“It just feels right. If you don’t want to…”

“No, I want to, I just wanted to be sure you did. Thank you. For coming for me, for letting me stay here, for everything.”


End file.
